“Shui Hua, what’s up with you today? You seem totally out of it.”
The green-haired loli Head had somehow appeared behind Shui Hua’s desk, tilting her head to size her up.
Shui Hua openly watched a short video and retorted irritably, “I’ve finished all my work today. Can’t I just zone out for a bit?”
“I don’t think that’s it.”
Xing Li rested her chin in her palm, her eyes taking on a sly glint.
“Could it be… after saving Liu Jin, you’re starting to have some unrealistic fantasies?”
As the Head, Xing Li naturally knew in advance that Liu Jin would be coming today.
If not for a monthly exam she couldn’t escape this afternoon, she’d have skipped class just to see that legendary S-Class Hero in person.
After all, such a top-tier existence appears only once in millions, and even as the branch Head, she rarely had the chance to exchange a word with Liu Jin.
Her guess was perfectly reasonable.
After all, the Magical Girl Liu Jin was the idol of almost everyone in the field: noble, beautiful, and powerful.
Not to mention someone like Yu Hua, a man forced into becoming a Magical Girl—even many female Magical Girls admired her deeply.
“You think I’m that kind of person?”
Shui Hua rolled her eyes at her again, clearly annoyed.
“Yeah, right… Yesterday I asked you to join the marketing and ride the hype, and you wouldn’t even come,” Xing Li pouted, losing interest when she couldn’t tease Shui Hua anymore, and slumped back into her lounge chair.
She sank comfortably into the soft cushion, swinging her legs.
“But today you have to come, right? While this is still trending, livestream with us for a bit. Yesterday, Fei Xing and I did a random stream and made twenty or thirty thousand. If you show your face, Liu Jin’s fans will flood the stream with gifts!”
“I refuse… I’ve got plenty of money now, I don’t care about that.”
Now that she was rich, Shui Hua spoke with confidence.
If it had been the old her, she’d have streamed from morning to night to scrape together enough to cover the breach of contract fee, stuffing herself full of rice in the process.
But with Lin Ling’s sponsorship, she could now do whatever she pleased—or not do anything at all.
“You’re really weird. It’s not about the money for you, but you still keep thinking of quitting such a great job as a Magical Girl.”
“Because a man has to have dreams.”
Shui Hua declared righteously.
“Living off the Magical Girl gig and just coasting through life isn’t my style.”
Even though she didn’t really know what her dream was, she still retorted this way.
“If you ask me, if you really want to fulfill your dreams,” Xing Li hugged her pillow with a mischievous grin and spoke in an enticing tone, “you should take this opportunity and try to win Liu Jin over. If you can rely on a sugar mama, what dream couldn’t you achieve?”
“You’re a high schooler, why are you always thinking about stuff like this?”
Shui Hua snapped, annoyed that the topic had been dragged back to Liu Jin.
“We’re only four years apart, okay?”
Xing Li pouted in protest.
“What’s wrong with me looking out for you?”
“Look, I know you don’t need money,” Xing Li suddenly remembered something just as Shui Hua was about to get off work and pushed herself up from the lounge chair.
“But saving Liu Jin counts as a huge contribution. Higher-ups specially approved a five hundred thousand yuan Bonus. Fei Xing and I talked it over—we didn’t do anything, so we’ll just transfer the whole thing to you.”
Shui Hua was stunned for a moment and nodded complicatedly, “Alright… Once I get the money, dinner’s on me.”
She found a quiet corner to release her transformation, grabbed a quick bite from a street vendor outside the school, and slowly made her way back to the Dormitory.
Pushing open the Dormitory door, the familiar scene came into view.
Wang Zeqi and Liu Shixing both wore headphones, fully immersed in an intense game battle, while Lin Ling’s seat was still empty as always.
“Yu Hua, back from showing off somewhere again?”
Liu Shixing asked, turning his head during a character death break.
“Sigh, don’t even ask. There’s this girl, can’t bear to see me suffer, keeps trying to push me into the arms of a rich woman, saying it’s all for the sake of my dreams. Right now, I’m just stuck—can’t go left or right, worried sick.”
Yu Hua plopped down in his seat with a heavy sigh, half joking, half serious.
Instantly, the Dormitory erupted in a chorus of boos and playful scolding.
Even though his financial situation had improved dramatically and life seemed smooth, Yu Hua still had no shortage of worries.
He shook his head, temporarily casting aside the messy thoughts swirling in his mind, and booted up his computer to join the gaming crew.
The three of them teamed up, rampaging through the virtual world, briefly forgetting their real-life troubles.
After a few rounds, the Dormitory door opened and Lin Ling came in, backpack slung over his shoulder.
“Brother Lin, where’d you go grind again?”
Wang Zeqi asked casually.
“Where else, the Library of course.”
Lin Ling set down his bag, tone unchanged.
“No way, Lin bro,” Liu Shixing exclaimed, “you’ve already got a love-at-first-sight crush and you’re still only hanging out at the Library? Not going out on a date?”
Lin Ling pushed his glasses, looking a little embarrassed.
“Actually… I did see her this afternoon.”
Any last sliver of hope Yu Hua had was now completely crushed—this confirmed without a doubt that the one Lin Ling fell for at first sight was none other than his Magical Girl identity, Shui Hua.
His hand tightened around the mouse, and because of it, his game character misstepped and died.
“Oh?”
The other two instantly burst into loud whoops and jeers, tearing their attention from the game as their gossiping souls flared to life.
“Come on, Lin bro, spill it! What’s she like? Do you have a chance with her?”
Wang Zeqi pressed eagerly.
A faint, almost imperceptible blush colored Lin Ling’s cheeks, his tone uncertain yet tinged with anticipation.
“She’s… a really good person, seems pretty cheerful. But, when she talked to me today, she seemed a little… nervous? Couldn’t really look me in the eye. Do you think… maybe she’s actually interested in me too?”
Yu Hua nearly lost his cool again, inwardly cursing Lin Ling for his delusions:
That wasn’t shyness at all, I was about to lose it!
“Bro, with all due respect,” Liu Shixing put on a look of experienced wisdom, “you’re just overthinking things. With your looks and finances, what girl would fall for you at first sight?”
“Exactly,” Yu Hua seized the chance and blurted out his true feelings, “maybe the girl actually doesn’t like you at all, but she’s too polite to say it, so she just acts awkward and uneasy.”
Lin Ling’s hopeful expression dimmed at their words, and he asked dejectedly, “So… what should I do next?”
As Magical Girl Shui Hua, Yu Hua naturally wanted Lin Ling to give up this terrifying idea immediately.
But as his roommate, seeing his buddy so rarely infatuated and taking it so seriously, it seemed too harsh and unfriendly to just pour cold water on him.
Then, a better plan occurred to Yu Hua.
He cleared his throat and put on the air of a romance expert, ready to analyze.
“Leave it to an experienced guy like me… Judging from what you’ve said, you two probably aren’t in the same social circle, so it’s going to be really hard to develop feelings just from daily contact.”
He paused, watching Lin Ling’s reaction, then cut straight to the point.
“So I think, better to rip off the bandage—just find a chance and confess to her directly.”
“Just… confess?”
Lin Ling was stunned, clearly not expecting such a bold suggestion.
“Yeah, confess.”
Yu Hua nodded forcefully, continuing his pitch.
“Girls like her—seem cheerful but actually get shy easily—as long as she doesn’t outright dislike you, she won’t reject you in a really harsh way when faced with a sincere confession. If it works out, great; if not… at least you can give up sooner and stop overthinking, which would be better for your studies, right?”
Yu Hua’s mental abacus was clicking away—if Lin Ling confessed, he could, as Shui Hua, reject him outright, settling everything once and for all.
Lin Ling lowered his head, looking like he was really considering this blunt approach.
Seeing Lin Ling about to go along with his advice, Yu Hua couldn’t help but flash a victorious smile.